- Apple could be ready to start testing outside the lab

- Californian test site in discussion

- Apple car may go public soon

The rumour of Apple's self-driving car has just had some serious weight added to its authenticity after executives reportedly met with California autonomous driving officials.

According to a report by The Guardian Apple's senior legal counsel, Mike Maletic, had an hour-long meeting with a DMV deputy director and strategic planner on 17 August. These officials are co-sponsors of California's autonomous vehicle regulation project.

When asked to comment on the meeting the department simply replied: "The Apple meeting was to review [the] DMV’s autonomous vehicle regulations."

Apple was reportedly in talks previously to secure a disused military base near San Francisco with miles of empty streets for driverless cars.

Previous rumours that support Apple's autonomous car include employees saying Apple is working on a project to give Tesla a run for its money. Apple has reportedly been poaching Tesla employees and automotive experts. According to The Financial Times there's a top-secret research lab developing advanced software based on CarPlay. There has also been a mysterious van spotted, registered to Apple, with all sorts of imaging based gadgets on the top being tested.

Apple is reportedly calling this Project Titan and has already appointed an engineering program manager. These are usually appointed once Apple is ready for its projects to leave the lab.